Reviving Memories
by mysticalweather
Summary: Janet takes a trip down memory lane. Daniel Janet ship, established relationship, fluff, Revival Challenge response


Janet sighed as her eyes traveled around the office yet again. Her plan had been to take some files home to work on so she wouldn't have to spend all her time at the SGC under a mountain of paperwork. What she didn't take into account was the fact that she was married to a somewhat methodical, yet partially absent-minded man. On one hand, his research, artifacts, notes, and files were all meticulously labled, cared for, and in order...but it seemed like everything else was just a bit off kilter. And sharing office space with someone who constantly drops everything because of a sudden flash of brilliance was a bit tiresome. She couldn't count the number of meals and snacks she'd found left on the desk untouched and forgotten.

And then there was the closet. Once upon a time it had been clean and generally uncluttered. While searching for a notebook, she had made the mistake of opening the closet door. Half the contents came spilling out onto the floor. Shoes, empty tissue boxes, one of Cassie's soccer balls, and a roll of masking tape were among the items that came tumbling out. Janet had managed to shove most of it back inside and close the door, but still it was driving her to distraction. She tried ignoring it, but every time she settled down to focus on her work her mind would drift back to the mess in the corner.

Enough was enough. She'd never get finished going through the files at this rate. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Janet finally admitted defeat and walked over to the closet.

This was going to take a while.

Kneeling for so long had started to take a toll on Janet's knees. Leaning back, she blew at a strand of auburn hair that had fallen into her face. She had made quite a bit of progress, but who knew that cleaning out a closet would be such a hard job? She'd take treating patients in the infirmary over this any day. Brushing the dust off her hands and the front of her shirt, Janet peered back into the closet, silently willing the rest of the clutter to just fall into order. If only it was that easy.

She was about to get back to work when something buried in the far corner caught her eye. Crawling to the back of the closet Janet managed to free the object she'd seen. A smile lit across Janet's face as she ran her fingers over the binding of the book she held. It was the photo album she'd searched high and low to find. After being buried under all this other junk, it was no wonder she'd been unable to find it.

Deciding that she deserved a small break, Janet climbed back out of the closet. Leaning against the wall, she opened the book to the first page.

Baby pictures and family vacations. The pictures were old, worn, and a bit faded...but the memories they held were as real to Janet as they had ever been. Nostalgic feelings washed over Janet as she wished for the days when life was simple again. Those years were far too short.

Next came school pictures. Janet shook her head in amusement and flipped quickly to the next page. After all, past hair styles are among the things that are best forgotten. Not to mention the fashion trends of the time.

Medical school graduation. Her parents had always supported her dreams of being a doctor. The photo of the three of them with her diploma in hand brought tears to Janet's eyes. It was the one time she knew that she'd made her father proud. And that was almost more of an achievement than graduating had been.

She flipped by the next two pages without looking. Pictures from her first marriage. She didn't want to see them...yet she didn't want to throw them away, either. Her past was her past, and she turned out the better for it. Still, she felt those memories were best left buried.

Moving on to...pictures of her life in the Air Force. Basic training. Dress blues. Her very own office. Promotion to Captain. And finally the picture she'd taken on her first day of reassignment: the outside of Cheyenne Mountain. It was literally the first and only picture she'd taken at work. After all, the military generally frowned on photographs being taken of it's top secret programs. Go figure.

The next few pages were mostly snapshots of friends and family. Many had been taken on holidays...or on outings when SG-1 had been ordered off the base until they'd gotten some R&R.

One whole page was entirely filled with pictures of Teal'c in various styles of hats. The one from last Christmas made her laugh out loud...where Colonel O'Neill had gotten that Mexican sombrero she'd never know. But the bright hat sitting atop the puzzled Jaffa made for a priceless photo.

Janet turned to the next page and smiled again. These pictures were of Sam, Cassie, Daniel, and herself at the lake on a rowboat. Boats really weren't Daniel's thing...but Cassie had somehow convinced him to come along with them. Bless that child. Who'd have guessed that just a few years later Janet and Daniel would be married?

Speaking of which...the next pages were filled with their wedding pictures. These ones she wouldn't skip over. These she would linger over, and cherish the memories they held.

Janet was so caught up in her reverie that Daniel had to call her name three times before she responded. Finally snapping to attention, she turned and found Daniel sitting in the desk chair with an amused look on his face. She had no clue how long he'd been sitting there.

"Daneil!" Janet said in surprise. "Uh, hi."

"Hi. What happened here?" he asked, grinning as he helped Janet get to her feet.

"I came in here to work on some files, and a got...a little distracted," she explained. "Have you seen the inside of that closet?"

Daniel grimaced and shook his head. "I try not to go in there."

"I can see that."

He smiled innocently before gesturing to the book she'd been pouring over. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's the photo album I thought I'd lost," she replied. "I've been reviving old memories."

His eyebrows sank. "Don't you mean 'reliving'?"

She shook her head with a laugh. "It's a saying Cassie uses," Janet explained. "She insists that you can't literally "relive" memories...but when you think about them you're breathing new life into them...thus reviving them. And...who am I to argue with the logic of a teenager?"

"I like that, actually," Daniel commented with a thoughtful nod. "How far had you gotten?"

"Boat trip, Teal'c's sombrero Christmas, and our wedding."

"We've had some great times haven't we?" Daniel said, brushing away some dust particles that had settled on Janet's check.

They both sneezed in response, then burst into laughter. 

"We're still having them," Janet said, pulling Daniel into a sweet kiss.

He couldn't have agreed more.

The End


End file.
